One of the most frequent questions I see in the various motherhood Facebook groups I’m in is regarding double strollers. Strangely, I have very strong feelings on the topic. Maybe it’s because I used our double stroller almost every single day for a year.

A Little Background

My children are 16.5 months apart. I’ve been using the Uppababy Vista as a double stroller since my youngest child was born two years ago (my son is 3 years, 5 months and my daughter is 2 years old as of yesterday).

The first year I primarily used the Vista for neighborhood walks and outings (zoo, mall, etc.). The past year we lived in Los Angeles and used the Vista daily to walk everywhere from the grocery store to the park to the museum.

The Uppababy Vista can be used as both a single and double stroller. This Uppababy Vista review is as a double stroller since that’s the primary way we’ve used it for two years. We’ve used the bassinet, car seat adapter, toddler seat and RumbleSeat at various points. I think the only option we haven’t used is the PiggyBack ride along board! For the first six months, we used the bassinet or car seat adapter with the RumbleSeat or toddler seat. For the past 18 months, we’ve exclusively used the toddler seat and RumbleSeat.

And now onto the good, not so good and whether or not I’d buy the Uppababy Vista again.

The Good

The basket is huge. For the year we lived in LA, I took the Vista to do all of my grocery shopping. I easily fit 3 bags underneath with the toddler seat attached.

You can collapse the Vista with both child seats attached. This may be more common in double strollers now, but two years ago when we bought the Vista it was rare.

The sunshade is huge. You can pull it all the way down. We got caught in a rainstorm once and the sunshade kept Sybil dry (Lawson on the other hand refused to use the sunshade because he wanted to get wet).

The Not So Good

It is HEAVY. I know most double strollers are heavy, but the Vista feels especially bulky. I rarely ever use it as a car stroller and we’ve never traveled with it because of how large it is.

The weight in the front seat makes it VERY difficult to steer. There are times I have to use my full weight to steer up a slope. And getting the Vista up a curb? Forget about it. I have to turn around and go up backwards.

My 3 year old son sits in the front rumble seat since he likes to climb in and out of the seat. He is very scrunched in the seat. I swear his knees are up to his chin! Although he is tall for his age, I think an average sized 3 year old would still be too tall to comfortably sit. FYI – he also used to put his feet on the ground when I was strolling and jam his feet/ankles. I think he wanted to stretch out for more room, but has learned his lesson.

With both the toddler seat and RumbleSeat facing forward, there isn’t much room between the seats. Even though my daughter is petite for her age, she doesn’t have room to stretch her legs.

This isn’t a huge game changer, but once my youngest child was one I think they would have much preferred to sit side by side instead of front and back. They wanted to hold hands and talk to each other, which is pretty much impossible in the Vista.

Would I Buy the Vista again?

The short answer is no. While it worked well for the first 3-6 months, for the price I expected to be wowed for 2+ years. We invested in the Vista believing it would be our primary stroller for at least 3-5 years. I would have gladly sold it after a year.

So what would I buy?

A side by side double jogging stroller. We have the single BabyJogger Summit x3 and love it. I’d buy the double version in a heartbeat. I’ve also heard great things about the double BOB jogging stroller. It wouldn’t have worked for the first six months before our daughter was old enough to sit up, but we could have figured it out.

Each family and lifestyle is different. What works (or didn’t work) for us, might be a great fit for you. And when I get my double jogging stroller, I’ll let you know how I like it. ;)